


Welcome to the Glade

by PumpkinPieTimb



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blood and Injury, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Fluff, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Maze Runner AU!, Medical Inaccuracies, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Paranoia, Possible Character Death, Trauma, everyone is human, i have no idea how to tag this help-, lots of trauma, physically emotionally and mentally
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29123418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PumpkinPieTimb/pseuds/PumpkinPieTimb
Summary: Every month, a new boy comes up from the box in the middle of the Glade.Dream was the first to arrive. He built the foundation of a wonderful community, he watched as everyone arrived in the Glade, he discovered mysteries that they have yet to solve, he has fought monsters you could never imagine, and he strived to protect every single one of his friends.But no one can always get what they want.(Requests are open!)
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Floris | Fundy & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Alexis | Quackity & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Antfrost & Darryl Noveschosch, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Luke | Punz, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream/Floris | Fundy, Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, Grayson | Purpled & Luke | Punz, Grayson | Purpled & Ponk | DropsByPonk (Video Blogging RPF), Jack Manifold & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Sapnap & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Zak Ahmed & Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 49
Kudos: 221





	1. Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Ayeeee first actual fic for the Au! I hope you guys enjoy! :D

Dream... was alone.

He woke up in a box and he had no other memories other than his name. It was unsettling to say the least.

He stayed there, laying on his back, inside the box for who knows how long, just staring at the gray sky. The sky never seemed to change color or even its shade, just like everything else, it was weird.

When he decided to climb out of the box, with the help of all the chests and barrels that he arrived with, he was met by the sight of a wide glade and four tall ass walls. Boxing him in for the second time. He decided to roam around for a bit.

He found a small forest with an equally small stream, he found a... uh... there wasn't really much there to it, everything else was just flat and grassy with the occasional small hills. Dream saw the opening in the middle of one of the walls, but he didn't dare enter. He had a bad feeling about it.

When he got bored out of his mind, Dream decided to go back to the box and investigate the contents of the chests and barrels. He paused when he saw a round porcelain mask in the middle of the box. Huh. Was that there earlier?

Dream jumped down the hole and grabbed the mask. He turned it around and saw a smiley face on it. He didn't know what the purpose of it is, but he decided to keep it. He didn't really wear it, just tied it to his belt for now.

He then proceeded to look into the chests. He found extra set of clothing, multiple running shoes, lots of food, there was even a live pig and chicken, and other basic stuff like that. Dream yawned as he felt tiredness overtake him, he grabbed a pillow and a blanket from one of the chests and settled down inside the box.

* * *

Dream woke up by the sound of a loud scraping noise, he climbed out of the box to see that the opening he saw yesterday was now closed and there was a new door starting to open in another wall. Dream shook his head and chose to not think about it for now.

He scanned his surroundings, not expecting to see anything special, only to have his jaw drop when he saw two new buildings in one of the corners of the huge concrete box he was put in.

Dream approached them cautiously. How on earth did two buildings appear out of nowhere just overnight? He must have been really tired if he didn't notice those yesterday or if he didn't wake up when they appeared.

He looked inside the smaller building and saw a... kitchen. A small kitchen with a fridge, a stove, and a sink. That's about it really. The cabinets were filled with bowls and plates and other kitchen utensils, Dream wondered why he needed so much if he was all alone.

Next, he went for the slightly bigger building and saw an array of shower stalls, complete with the needed toiletry and all that. Again, he wondered why there were a lot of stalls if he was all alone.

His stomach started to growl and Dream went back into the box for some food, opting to ignore every single peculiar thing he sees for now.

* * *

After some time of being alone, Dream has made a small hut for himself by the trees.

He had transported everything from the box into another small hut he made by the kitchen. As soon as the box was empty, it closed and made no indication of ever opening, even if Dream had tried multiple times.

The doors on the walls kept rotating every day, Dream has observed. When the sky goes dark, the door closes and when he wakes up, the door was on a different wall. Dream has been tempted to go in many times, but he always gets an unsettling feeling whenever he steps a foot on the concrete floor beyond the doors.

Dream has never went through the doors, too wary of what might happen if he does.

Being in a closed off glade wasn’t really an ideal place to be, especially if you’re alone. Sure Dream has found ways to entertain himself, he’s made himself a small hut, a makeshift storage room, made cages for the animals, and he even started to teal soil in order to plant crops. But there was only so much quietness his brain could handle.

To make things simple, he wanted someone to talk to. He wanted company. But he had no idea how to ask the people that put him there, so he just waited. Hoping that one day he’ll finally have a friend.

* * *

Thankfully, his waiting paid off.

One day, Dream was rudely woken up by the loud sirens that sounded like it was everywhere, giving him a headache and putting him in a sour mood.

He kicked off his blankets and stumbled out of his cot, grumbling all the while. Dream kicked his door open to see what the commotion was all about, to his surprise (this place has surprised him more than he could count) the box was open again.

Dream jogged over, relieved that the sirens has stopped blaring at his ears. He peered down the hatch, eyes widening when he saw another boy inside, laying on the metal floor and snoring softly.

“Hello?” Dream said, wondering how he could sleep through those loud ass sirens.

When the guy didn’t budge, Dream hopped down the box and shook him awake. “Hey, wake up,” he said.

“Five more minutes…” The stranger mumbled, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

Dream couldn’t help but snort, finding it endearing. “Seriously, you need to wake up. We have to move these supplies to the storage room before the box goes back down.” He urged gently. Dream had no idea who this dude is, but he’d be damned if he makes a bad first impression. He had a feeling that this person would be here for a while.

The guy groaned and stretched like a cat. He opened one eye to glare at Dream. “Fine, you asshole.” He sighed before sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

“I’m Dream,” he said with a light chuckle, offering a hand.

“George,” the dude said as he grabbed Dream’s hand and was pulled up to his feet.

Dream gave him a lopsided grin. “Well, George. Welcome to the— uh,” he looked at their surroundings, grassy and flat. “Welcome to the Glade.”


	2. George

Ever since he woke up in that box, only to find out that he was put inside an even bigger concrete box with this dude named Dream, his life has been more confusing than ever. Well, that’s what he would have said if he actually remembered his life before being put in this miserable confinement.

All he remembered is that his name is George and that he would kill anyone who would try to take away the goggles that he arrived with. Dream was surprisingly compliant turns out it was because he had a special something as well, his white mask with a creepy smile drawn on it.

Being alone with Dream for a while wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. They got along pretty well. Actually, they got along too well for two newly acquainted strangers. But that was fine. It was better than being alone in such a huge empty glade.

Dream often tells him stories about his time alone in the Glade. He talks about how two buildings appeared just over night, he talks about his mini adventures on trying to learn how to build decent homes with scarce supplies, he talks about how hard it was to wrangle the animals, he talks about how he tended to the crops he planted. He talks about a lot of things, but he mostly talks about how glad he is that George was there now.

George had expected that, really, he couldn’t imagine being alone in an huge glade for a long time. It must have been maddening to have no one to talk to. For some reason, instead of pity, George felt sadness for Dream. If he ended up hugging Dream tightly every time the subject of loneliness comes up, they don’t talk about it.

It wasn’t weird, per se, it was actually quite comforting. It strangely felt familiar to do, it felt natural. Like it was nothing new between them. But that can’t be right. George knows he’s never met this man in his entire life… Which he doesn’t remember.

But he won’t dwell on it. If it’s what gives them both comfort, then no need to question it.

Dream has also told George about the doors that kept changing locations. They were both curious as to where it leads to, but they were also too wary to even cross the doors. But someday though, they’ll go.

While they were alone in the Glade, they started making a bigger and more decent looking house. They built it near the bathroom and around the kitchen for convenience. It was a little too big, a little too ambitious. But hey, they won’t be going anywhere anyway.

George doesn’t really know how long they were alone, he never kept track of time. To be fair, if you were stuck in a place where the only indication of day and night was gloomy gray and pitch black, then why bother? He’d rather sleep it off than waste his time on something insignificant.

“You sleep too much.” Dream had said one day when he woke George up so they could water the plants.

George glared at Dream from hit cot. “You talk too much.” He retaliated lightly.

Dream laughed and George smiled before slowly getting out of his comfortable cot.

When they were busy tending to the crops in comfortable silence, the sound of loud, deafening sirens filled the air.

George winced and covered his ears. “What the heck?!” He screamed at Dream.

Dream shrugged helplessly. “This has only happened once before!” He screamed back.

“When?!”

“Your arrival!” Dream said before pulling him towards the box in the middle of the Glade.

The sirens finally stopped blaring in their ears when they arrived at the box. It was open, and Dream went to look inside while George tried to get the ringing in his ears to go away.

“Oh,” he heard Dream say.

George walked over to his friend. “What? What’s inside?” He asked.

Before Dream could even utter a word, a black-haired male peaked out from the box. “Wassup bitches,” he said with a grin.


	3. Sapnap

Imagine waking up alone, with no memories but your name, in a dark room, with red lights blinding you, and loud sirens blasting in your ears. Would you freak out? Of course you would. Any normal person would.

So that’s how it was. Sapnap woke up in that exact situation and started freaking out, because who the hell wouldn’t?

He was trapped, he was clueless, and he felt like he was drowning. Air, he needed air. There was water in his lungs, he can’t breathe—

Sapnap doubled over and started coughing his lungs out. It hurt. His throat hurts. His ears hurt. His head hurts. Everything hurts and it’s too loud, loud, _loud_. He holds his head in both hands, clutching at it desperately. It was too much. Make it stop, _please_.

Somehow, his plead was heard and the lights turned off as well as the sirens. Sapnap sighed heavily and leaned back on his heels. He was relieved, but that doesn’t stop the fact that he was still freaking out.

Where was he? Why was he here? Why the hell are there pigs in a cage? Why did whatever place he was in stop moving? What was happening? Why was it happening to him? How—

That thought was cut off when the ceiling of the little room he was in opened up. Sapnap squinted at the sudden burst of light. He coughed a bit more into his fist before looking up again, only to meet bright green eyes.

Sapnap blinked, all his panic dissipating the moment he saw the eerily familiar eyes. “What the fuck…” He muttered, wondering why he was suddenly at ease. Like everything was fine now. Like he had nothing to worry about…

“Oh,” the dude with green eyes said.

“What? What’s inside?” Another voice asked.

Sapnap peeped his head at the edge of the box he was in and saw another dude that was wearing white goggles with dark tinted lenses. He couldn’t help but grin at their dumbfounded faces, momentarily forgetting his previous panic.

“Wassup bitches,” the words stumbled out of his mouth without his permission. But he honestly couldn’t have said it any better.

The green eyed man snorted and the goggle dude raised an eyebrow. Sapnap’s grin widened, finding satisfaction in the goggle dude’s unimpressed stare.

“Anyway, hello there. I’m Dream and this is George,” the newly- identified green eyed man said with a smile, pointing at the goggle dude.

Dream offered a hand and Sapnap grabbed it without hesitation, he climbed out of the box with the help and didn’t let go of the other boy’s hand. “I’m Sapnap.” He said, shaking Dream’s hand.

“Welcome to the Glade Sapnap.” Dream said, his smile never wavering. Sapnap didn’t know if he should feel more at ease or confused at how calm the smile makes him. He decides not to think about it.

* * *

The three quickly became friends after that. With Sapnap and Dream constantly making fun of George for being color blind, Dream being chased around by the other two for fun, Sapnap teasing Dream and George for being so close, and other things like that.

Sapnap was filled in with the regular happenings in the Glade. Just building the house, tending to the crops, and taking care of the animals, basic shit like that. He was curious about one thing however…

“What’s through there?” Sapnap asked, pointing at the door on the east wall.

Dream shrugged. “I dunno. We’ve never gone through.”

Sapnap furrowed his eyebrows. “Why not?”

“Well,” George started, but then he paused and looked at Dream quizzically. “Wait, _why_ didn’t we?” He asked.

“For the most part, we don’t know what’s out there. It might be a death trap for all we know.” Dream answered.

George nodded. “Right, what he said.” He said to Sapnap.

Sapnap looked back at the opening, curiosity gnawing at him. He wanted to know what was out there. He hasn’t been in this glade for as long as the other two, but he was getting bored of the routine they had. He wanted more, he wanted an adventure. He wanted adrenaline pumping through his veins, heart beating fast in the rush of everything, he wanted to explore more than this boxed in glade.

With his mind made up, Sapnap stood up from his spot on the grass they were hanging out on. “Welp, you do you, I want to go in—“

“Sap wait!” Dream said, grabbing his wrist before he could walk towards the door.

Sapnap rolled his eyes and begrudgingly looked at Dream. “What?” He groaned.

“You can’t go there, you might die!” Dream argued, concern filling his eyes.

“Well you can’t know that for sure if you don’t even try!” Sapnap retaliated.

“He has a point Dream,” George pipped up. “We can’t really be sure unless we go and see what’s up.”

“But—“

Sapnap pulled his wrist from Dream’s hold. Feeling a bit guilty at the hurt in his friend’s eyes. “Dream, if you don’t want to go, then don’t. I’m not asking you to join me, but I really can’t stay here stagnantly. Waiting, only for nothing to happen. I want to keep moving, I want to see new things, I can’t stay cooped up in this place and I know you don’t as well.” He said, surprisingly calm.

Dream pursed his lips and clenched his fist. “Fine, but if you’re not back after an hour I’m coming after you.” He said.

Sapnap grinned. “Great! See you in an hour guys!’ He said while running towards the door.

“Stay safe!” He heard Dream and maybe George call after him.

* * *

Whatever Sapnap was expecting to see beyond those walls, he was sure as hell wasn’t expecting it to be a huge fucking maze. He stared up in awe of the tall walls covered in vines and moss. He wondered how long of a time this place was built, and why.

The more he turned on a corner the more lost in his thoughts he got. Sapnap was so busy wandering around that he didn’t even notice that the one hour exploring time he had was now over.

Suddenly, he heard metal hitting stone. Sapnap quickly turned around, there was nothing there. Slowly, he walked towards the end of the hallway he was in, wary of what he would see.

_Cling clang cling clang_

The rhythmic noise of metal hitting concrete continued. Sapnap sucked in a deep breath as he neared the end of the hallway. He took a peek and caught a glimpse of something, _a metal spider-like leg_ , before it disappeared into another hallway.

“Sapnap?”

Sapnap stifled a shout and jumped away from the hand that was placed on his shoulder.

He glared at George, clutching at his rapidly beating heart. “What the fuck George?!” He whispered harshly.

George put up his hands in surrender. “Hey, no need to be so mad. Why are you whi—“

Sapnap quickly grabbed George and covered his mouth, shushing him. “Be quiet,” he hissed. “Something’s out there.”

George pushed him away. “What?” He asked, suddenly in full alert as well.

“I don’t know. All I know is that there’s a fucking metal spider out there and we both know we’re not equipped enough to—“His sentence was cut off by an ear piercing scream, making them both tense. There was only one other person with them in this place-

George snapped into action, rapidly running at the general direction of the scream. “Dream!” He called out.

Sapnap cursed under his breath and ran after his friend.

Since they didn’t really know the layout of the maze, it took quite a while to maneuver through the different hallways. Sapnap has lost count of how many times they’ve reached a dead end, but they never stopped looking.

Despite his warnings, George never stopped screaming out Dream’s name. He gets it, they were both worried for their friend, but that didn’t mean they had to risk their location to that spider as well. He was about to tell George off for the hundredth time when Dream’s voice called out to George and Sapnap as well.

“Guys?! Where are you?!” They heard him scream.

George and Sapnap started running towards the voice. “Dream! Dream over here!” George called out.

At that point Sapnap has lost all his patience, so he joined George and started calling out for Dream as well. “Dream! Where are you?!”

A few minutes later, their paths finally collided and George grabbed both of Dream’s shoulders, gasping at the sight of blood covering their friend’s face. “Dream what happened?!” George asked in worry.

Dream sighed and collapsed onto George’s hold. “Tired…” He mumbled, barely opening his mouth from all the blood.

If this was any other situation, Sapnap would have laughed at how obvious their height difference is with Dream draped on George. But right now, he was panicking because his friend was _dying_ and he didn’t know what to do!

Sapnap quickly took off his t-shirt, glad that he was wearing a long sleeve underneath, and went to press it against Dream’s bleeding face. But then he paused. “Is- will this be alright?” He asked George in panic. What if Dream won’t be able to breathe?

“Yes! Just do it quickly, he’s going to drown in his own blood if you don’t wipe it off!” George answered, clinging to Dream that was half-passed out on him and was struggling to keep them both upright.

Sapnap nodded and carefully pressed the white shirt just under Dream’s nose. The wound was a clean horizontal cut from Dream’s right cheek to the left, then there was another slanted one from his right eyebrow and crossing to his left cheek.

Dream was lucky that the cuts didn’t go through his eyes, or else they’d be dealing with a whole new other problem right there.

A distant sound of metal hitting concrete made Sapnap tense up. “We gotta go.” He said, taking one of Dream’s arms and draping it over his shoulder.

“What? Why? Dream’s still bleeding, we have to treat him first—“

“George!” Sapnap snapped. “We have nothing to treat Dream with here, there’s a fucking monster creeping around this maze, and the longer we stay here the more vulnerable we are. Snap out of it and focus! The best way to help Dream is to get him out of here.” He explained sternly. 

George stared for a moment, his mouth closing and opening like a fish out of water, then he pursed it into a straight line. “Right, yeah. Let’s go.” He said in a clipped tone as he secured Dream’s other arm over his shoulder.

Sapnap sighed as they started dragging Dream along. George had taken the shirt from Sapnap and opted to press it gently against Dream’s wounds in hopes of slowing down the bleeding as they walked.

* * *

It took them a while, but they eventually found the door back to the Glade. Sapnap carried Dream and laid him down on a cot as George went to look for medical supplies.

As best as they could, they patched up Dream and hoped that their friend didn’t lose too much blood.

Neither of them were able to sleep until the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're slowly getting juicy plot...


	4. Faults and Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a fan of how this came out, but I'm afraid I'll ruin it if I add any more so here. take this chapter-

_“Where is he?”_

_“Now, I’m going to have to ask you to calm down—“_

_“No! I need to know where he is, right **now**!”_

_“You’re not allowed in there!”_

-

George woke up with a start.

He lifted his head from the side of the bed and took a glance at Dream, who they transferred from the cot three days ago. He saw the steady rise and fall of his friend’s chest and sighed. Dream was okay. Well, as okay as he can be.

They had bandaged Dream’s face as best as they could, which meant it was terribly done and the only visible part of his face was his mouth. Look, both George and Sapnap don’t know anything about treating face wounds okay? Especially severe ones. But they tried their best.

It’s been three days and Dream still hasn’t woken up even once. The more time their friend stays unconscious, the more anxious George gets. What if Dream lost too much blood and it was only a matter of time before he…

George shook his head to stir his mind off his thoughts. No, he shouldn’t think like that. Dream is strong, he’ll get through this. He’ll survive and come back fighting. This is nothing.

“You okay George?” Sapnap asked beside him with a yawn.

George’s eyebrow twitched at the raven head’s voice. “I’m fine fine,” he snapped. As much as he wanted to just not care at all, he can’t let this one go that easily. It might be petty, but he doesn’t care.

Sapnap groaned. “George, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” He asked in an exasperated yet almost desperate tone.

Good. He should be desperate because it would take a very long time to gain forgiveness after what he did. “Well if you would have listened, then you wouldn’t even need to say it in the first place!” He hissed.

“Okay fine! But look, if it weren’t for _me_ we wouldn’t have known that there was a maze out there. If it weren’t for _me_ , we would still be in that damned maze and could even be dead. And if it weren’t for _me_ , Dream would have bled out because of _your_ sorry ass!” Sapnap hissed back.

George scowled and shoved a finger on Sapnap’s chest. “And if it weren’t for _you_ , Dream wouldn’t be here, injured and unconscious. If it weren’t for _you_ , Dream wouldn’t have worried so much and be forced to do what he didn’t want to. If it weren’t for _you_ , we wouldn’t even be having this conversation!”

Sapnap leaned back on his chair and grabbed at his raven hair with a frustrated growl. “I already said I’m sorry! I didn’t know there would be a creepy monster inside!” He defended.

“And I already said _no_ , I don’t, and I _won’t_ forgive you until I’m sure Dream would come back from this alive.” George said firmly.

Dream groaned and both of the fuming boys paused to look at him. The blond made a whimpering noise, shifted a little bit on the bed, and then settled down into an eerie silence once again.

“Get out.” George demanded in a low voice.

“But—“

“ _Out_.” He pressed, pointing at the door.

Sapnap shut his mouth with a glare, but got up anyway. The raven head paused at the door and turned to glare at George one last time. “You backed me up too, in case you forgot.” He grit out with so much venom before slamming the door shut.

George sighed heavily and laid his head on the side of the bed again, watching Dream breathe and reminding himself that his friend was safe and alive. Slowly, he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Sapnap scowled at the ground as he kicked the grass beneath his feet. This was stupid. Everything was so _stupid_.

For the last three days of waiting for Dream to finally wake up enough to talk to them, George has been nothing but an asshole. Yes, he blames himself for what happened to Dream too, but that didn’t mean George had to be so angry all the time.

Sapnap reached back and tightened the white bandana around his head with a huff, he got a glimpse of the door that was now in the north wall as he did so. He glared at it with as much heat he could muster.

_Stupid fucking door. Stupid walls. Stupid maze. Stupid Sapnap. Stupid stupid stupid—_

Sapnap let out a frustrated yell, grabbed the nearest stone and threw it at the huge door. If it weren’t for that dumb door, he wouldn’t have wanted to go outside. If it weren’t for that door he wouldn’t have found out about the maze. If it weren’t for that maze then he wouldn’t have gotten lost. If it weren’t for that maze then Dream wouldn’t have been injured! And that monster.

It’s all that motherfucking monster’s fault. Dream was hurt because of it. George was mad because of it. Sapnap was _alone_ because of it. That thing needs to go.

He ran over to the storage room and rummaged through the chests, looking for… it doesn’t matter, he’s looking for _something_. Something to use, something to— to kill a monster.

Sapnap huffed as he threw away multiple pickaxes, an axe, a hoe, some sticks, more sticks, then paused when his eyes landed on something shiny… and blue. He slowly reached for it and released the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

The raven head lifted the sword out of the chest, admiring the glint it gave off as light hit its blade. Sapnap grinned to himself, it was perfect. He stood up from the ground, grabbed the nearest sheathe and ran towards the maze with no hesitation.

Now, Sapnap wasn’t really sure if he could even use the sword since he has no recollection about anything from his past, but he was pretty confident that he’ll be able to kill that creep of a spider using it. It wasn’t that he was over confident with himself (well, maybe), it was just that when he held the sword, it didn’t feel wrong at all. In fact, it felt natural. It felt right.

So yeah, he’s going to go into that maze and kill that monster even if it’s the last thing he’ll do.

* * *

_“He’s gone.”_

George yawned as he stretched, he checked his watch and winced at how late in the day it was. They were supposed to feed the chickens today, some of their plants needed to be watered, and he somehow needs to find a way to feed Dream.

“Sapnap! Have you fed the chickens yet?” He called out as he quietly left the only finished room in their under construction house.

He received no answer. Which was fair, George _has_ been a jerk to him a lot recently. He didn’t mean to… It’s just that he just can’t help but be angry and blame Sapnap for all that’s happened.

But to be fair, what Sapnap said before he left was right, George did back him up, which makes him even more upset. But less so because of Sapnap and more on self-blame.

George sighed as he walked over to the chicken pen, opting to leave Sapnap alone for now. He worked in silence as he did everything in his chore list for the day, desperately distracting himself from the negative thoughts that kept on plaguing his mind.

He was just about to go and organize the chests, only to pause when he came across the mess that is their storage room. Tools and supplies were thrown around haphazardly, it looked like a tornado went through it.

“Sapnap?” George tried calling out, only to receive silence. “Sapnap?!” He tried louder. Still nothing.

George ran out of the room and started looking for his friend. Sapnap wasn’t in the bathroom, not in the kitchen, not in the farms, not in the animal pens, not in the tree grove, not in his little hut, and not even in Dream’s room. Sapnap was nowhere in the Glade. Which only means…

An inhuman screech echoed from the opening of the maze and George’s legs started moving on their own. “Sapnap you idiot!” He exclaimed as he entered the maze unarmed.

* * *

Sapnap ran as fast as he could. This was a mistake.

The sounds of metal hitting concrete and the unholy screeching echoed through the walls of the maze as Sapnap ran for his life. It was a good thing he decided to leave markers so he knew how to go back, or else he’d be dead by now.

It’s not that Sapnap can’t fight those creepers, it’s just that he didn’t expected there to be _multiple_! He was successful in severing one of the spider thing’s legs, but then he was jumped by this other one from behind. If it weren’t for its footsteps then Sapnap wouldn’t even be running away from them right now because he would have been _dead_.

He took another turn at one of his markers and cursed when he almost tripped over. He ran and ran and ran, taking in deep and calculated breaths, ignoring the loud pounding of his heart.

“Sapnap!” A familiar voice called out. What the fuck is he doing here?!

The raven head risked a glance behind him and sighed when he saw no sign of the monsters. But he never let himself sag in relief, he continued to run as fast as he could, better safe than sorry.

“ _Sapnap_!”

Sapnap scowled at the worry in the voice. Oh _now_ he cares. He didn’t bother to answer as he turned on another corner to see George looking around in concern, unarmed. That _idiot_.

He grabbed George by the arm and pulled him along roughly, forcing the Brit to run as well. “Hurry you nimrod!”

“What the—“

“Just shut up and _run_!”

George surprisingly did as he was told and ran as fast as he could. He wasn’t as fast of a runner like Sapnap, but he was decent. Sapnap led them to back to the maze as fast as he could, wishing that they could both get out of this alive.

And they did.

When they finally stepped out of the maze, Sapnap collapsed to the ground and hugged the grass. Damn, he never knew he’d ever miss this stupid glade. He took deep breaths to calm his nerves. Well, that was a bust.

“What the hell was that?!” George suddenly snapped.

Sapnap sighed, he closed his eyes and didn’t bother to answer. He didn’t need to answer anything George asks.

“Sapnap answer me!”

Silence.

George let out a frustrated grunt and suddenly Sapnap was being pulled to his feet. “What was that, huh? What went through that thick skull of yours to make you think that going into the maze was a good idea?!” The brunette demanded.

Sapnap sneered and pulled away from George. “It’s none of your business!” He exclaimed.

“Of course it’s my business! One of my only friends just went into an obvious death trap because what? Because you wanted to go and kill the monster? You wanted to become the hero, is that it?” George seethed.

What. The. Fuck. Is that really how George thinks of him?

Sapnap clutched at his sword and took a step forward. “ _No,_ you asshole! I went in there because I wanted to make sure you guys are safe. Not because I wanted to become some kind of hero. I don’t care about titles, I don’t care about power, I don’t care about anything like that! I just wanted to keep you guys safe! You call me your friend, don’t I get to protect my friends?” He said, his voice unintentionally cracking at the end.

He expected George to retaliate, to scream, argue, to be angry, anything but what George actually did. George… hugged him.

“Sorry.” George mumbled.

Sapnap’s hands hovered, not sure of what he should do. He wasn’t really expecting George to hug him _and_ say sorry. To say he was speechless was an understatement.

“I’m sorry. I was scared. I don’t— I can’t… It’s just that Dream’s hurt and I—“ George eventually gave up on trying to look for words and just decided to hug Sapnap tighter.

Sapnap huffed and reluctantly hugged back wordlessly. It wasn’t forgiveness, but it was close. They’ll get there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious that I can't write George? Lmao cuz I can't.


	5. Badboyhalo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayup, our fav muffinhead has arrived!

_“Are you married?”_

_Bad snorted in surprise. He paused fixing Dream’s bandages to look at Sapnap who was watching him work. “I’m not,” he answered with an amused smile._

_Sapnap pouted and pointed at his finger. “Then why do you have a ring?”_

_Bad’s smile wavered at the mention of the diamond ring around his finger. “I… I don’t know. I don’t remember.” He answered ruefully._

* * *

It’s been like that ever since he arrived. No memories, just his name and his ring. Sapnap and George were there when he woke up, greeting him with tired eyes and heavy tension.

“Hello!” He had greeted them with a friendly smile.

The one wearing goggles briefly looked at the one with a bandana around his head before sighing and offering a hand for Bad to grab, which he did. Bad was pulled out of the box with a huff.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Badboyhalo. But you can call me whatever you want, I don’t mind.” He introduced himself.

“Welcome, my name’s George,” the boy who pulled him up greeted with a forced smile. “This is Sapnap.” He said, jabbing a thumb at his friend who crossed his arms and looked away.

Bad frowned at their gloominess. “What’s wrong?” He asked in concern.

George sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re just really tired. Our friend is hurt and it’s been a week, but he still hasn’t woken up.” He explained.

“Oh,” Bad gasped. “Can I… can I see him?” He asked in concern.

George shrugged. “I mean, I don’t see why not.” He said and started leading them towards the building located in one of the corners of the huge boxed glade they were in.

Bad took his time to ogle at the huge concrete walls boxing them in. Vines were crawling up the walls, it simultaneously looked old and new at the same time, and there was an opening on one of the walls. “What’s in there?” He asked.

For the first time since he arrived, Sapnap opened his mouth to answer. “A maze. We don’t talk about it.”

“Oh, okay…”

“We’re here,” George announced as he opened the door of the building.

The brunette led them to a room that was far into the building and opened the door for Bad to enter. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he asked to see their friend, but the moment he saw the young man laid on the bed with bandages covering his whole face, Bad immediately rushed towards the bed and checked how the bandages were done.

“Hey!” Sapnap protested and pulled him away.

“Oops sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I was just worried that the wound was infected,” Bad apologized profusely. He really didn’t know what came over him.

“Do you know how to fix it if it is?” George perked up.

Bad scratched at his chin, fidgeting from foot to foot. “Well, I might. I don’t really remember anything, but I think I’ll be able to help your friend.” He explained truthfully.

Sapnap and George exchanged doubtful looks.

“Well, I understand if you don’t want me to. I’m a stranger after all…” He said hesitantly. As much as he wanted to keep their friend from getting infected, he didn’t want to push it.

George pursed his lips, his fists clenching at his sides. ”You… you can fix him up.” He said.

Sapnap then grabbed Bad’s front collar and dragged him so they could meet eye to eye. “If Dream gets worse after this. I’ll feed you to the Creepers.” He threatened.

Bad gulped and raised both hands in surrender. “I promise I won’t hurt him, trust me.”

“You better not,” Sapnap snarled before slightly shoving him away and walking out of the room.

Bad placed a hand over his racing chest. He didn’t really expect to be manhandled and threatened by someone who was obviously younger than him that day. To be fair, he didn’t really expect to wake up without memories in a glade with three other boys, and try to be a doctor to one of said boys either.

“Sorry about him,” George sighed. “He’s just a bit mad because he blames himself for what happened to Dream, so do I, but not as much as he does. And also, I prohibited him from going into the Maze because god knows what will happen to him if I let him go.”

Bad forced out a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I understand why he would be upset.”

George hummed. “So anyway, this is where we keep the medical supplies…”

* * *

Bad didn’t really know how to make Sapnap warm up to him. George seemed to be fine and friendly, but it was difficult to get the raven head to talk to him.

The two boys seem to bicker a lot. When they toured him around the Glade, they talked over each other and made mean snarky comments at each other. Bad had to break them off multiple times just so they could continue on with the tour and the rules.

They were apparently not allowed to go in the Maze until they’re sure that Dream would be okay, they had designated chores, and Sapnap wasn’t allowed to be anywhere near the Maze entrance. Bad had taken up the doctoring duties so George and Sapnap could focus on tending to the gardens, feeding the animals, and building the house.

George often checks on Dream, he visits so often that Bad had to give him a schedule so he would stop moping around and getting snappy. But throughout the week that Bad has been there, not once has Sapnap stepped into the room except for that one time he threatened Bad.

Bad often sees the boy training in the field whenever he goes outside of Dream’s room. They’ve never had a proper talk, only awkward confrontations whenever they had to eat and come across each other in the kitchen or go to the bathroom.

So imagine his surprise when Sapnap suddenly visits Dream at Bad’s second week in the Glade. For a good thirty minutes, he just sat by the chair beside Dream’s bed and watched as Bad removed the bandages and applied some ointments on the wounds.

“Has he woken up yet?” Sapnap suddenly asked.

Bad couldn’t help but smile at how small and shy the boy sounded. “He has, only twice though. But both times it were because of nightmares, he immediately passed out after.” He explained.

Sapnap hummed and silence wafted through the room again. But this time it was less awkward than when the raven head first came inside.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

Bad turned to him with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Sapnap, Dream will be okay. George told me what happened, and I’m proud of you for being so composed when it happened. We’d be having a totally different conversation if you didn’t urge George to get Dream back here as fast as you could.”

Sapnap looked away bashfully. “It was nothing…” He mumbled.

Bad chuckled. “Could you pass me the gauze please?” He asked.

And just like that, Sapnap started visiting Dream more. Sometimes he just sits there and watch, and other times he would ask Bad random questions out of the blue. Bad found it endearing, to say the least. And he thought Sapnap would be hard to talk to, turns out the boy was just shy and upset.

* * *

Bad was cleaning up the room when Dream groaned on the bed. Thinking that the wounds were acting up again, Bad went to get the pain killers.

“George? Sapnap?” A panicked voice rasped out.

Bad almost dropped the pills in surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooo Bad and Sapmap father and son relationship anyone?? hm?? lmao to anyone who follows mt writing blog or has seen my Maze Runner AU headcanons, they'll know that Sapnap arrived in the Maze at 16 and Bad arrived at 22. Child warrior Sapnap mmm


	6. Living in Fear

“Sapnap!” Dream woke up with a scream. He swiftly sat up on his bed and rubbed at his eyes.

It’s been three months.

Three months since he was so worried about his friend that he ran face first into uncharted territory with no preparation whatsoever. Three months since he they discovered the Maze. Three months since he got attacked by a Creeper. Three months since he decided to never again let anyone unprepared into the one place he can’t fully protect them from.

Three months, yet he still gets nightmares every night. It’s always the same. It’s always the Creeper. It was either hurting him, chasing him, or killing his friends. The nightmares were always bloody, the Creeper was always terrifying, and Dream was always helpless.

He can’t even tell himself that it won’t ever happen, because the dumbass that arrived two months ago decided that it would be funny to break the most important rule they have in the Glade. Don’t. Go. Into. The. Maze. Guess what? He did, and look how well that turned out for him. He’s _dead_.

Suddenly, his door opened and Dream’s eyes went wide in panic.

“Dream? George— oh shit you don’t have your mask on—“The person who opened it shut the door just as quickly as they opened it.

Dream removed his hands from his face to look at the door, glad that they were respectful enough to make an effort not to try and see his face. “What is it?” He called out.

“George, uh, told me to come get you for breakfast,” Ponk’s muffled voice explained sheepishly from behind the door. He was the newest arrival in the Glade, and much like Dream, he always had his face covered with a mask. Maybe that’s why he’s so understanding of Dream’s privacy. Either way, Dream respects Ponk privacy as well.

Dream smiled and nodded despite knowing that the other won’t see it. “Thanks Ponk, I’ll be right there.”

Ponk hummed and the sound of retreating footsteps were heard before it was silent again.

The blond sighed and plopped back on his bed. He was so tired. Not only did George, Sapnap, and himself started going into the Maze a few weeks ago again, but he’s been getting little to no sleep with all of the nightmares too.

* * *

_“I don’t like this.” Sapnap huffed._

_“You don’t like anything, idiot.” George jabbed with a playful grin._

_Sapnap rolled his eyes and ignored his friend. “I’m getting sick of this Glade. I want out.” He elaborated as he sharpened his sword._

_Dream raised an eyebrow, kind of frustrated that his friends won’t be able to see it. “How do you think we’ll get out?”_

_Sapnap eyed Dream warily, biting at his bottom lip in silent contemplation. “I… I was thinking about going into the Maze again,” He said carefully. “I mean, there won’t be a maze if we don’t have to escape, right?”_

_“What?!” George exclaimed. “Sap you **know** why we don’t go in there anymore—“_

_“Wait, no. George, I think he has a point.” Dream interrupted, placing a hand on George’s shoulder._

_“What?” Both George and Sapnap asked incredulously._

_“Let’s get out of this place.” Dream announced in feigned confidence._

_“Bro, you know you don’t have to go if you don’t—“_

_“Sapnap,” Dream interrupted. “I’ll be fine.” He said with a reassuring smile._

* * *

What a joke.

He also wanted out. He wanted to leave this godforsaken place too. But every time he steps into the Maze, he can’t help but tremble in fear.

Fear of the Creeper? Fear for his life? Fear for his friends’ lives? He’s not sure. Maybe all of the above. But he had to suck it up and move on. He had to be brave for his friends.

Dream can’t let George, Sapnap, Bad and even Ponk into the Maze without feeling anxious and paranoid at all times. He doesn’t know what he would do if the same thing that happened to him happen to any of his friends. His paranoia got even worse when the other dude died in the Maze. He just can’t let them go alone.

So here he was, sleep deprived and paranoid yet not saying anything about it. He doesn’t want to worry them even more than he already did.

With a deep breath, Dream got up from his bed and put on his mask. Time for another day at the Glade.

* * *

“What did I tell you about sharpening your weapons?” Bad scolded as he bandaged Sapnap’s hand.

The raven head pouted and looked away. “Always be careful with the blades…” he grumbled.

Bad smiled. “Good, you remember. Now, how to make you _actually_ follow along.” He wondered out loud.

George snorted. “It’s like Sapnap’s getting scolded by a parent, how embarrassing.” He teased.

Sapnap glared at George and threw a piece of egg at his friend. “Shut up _Gogy_.” He snarked, using the nickname that infuriated the other.

“Oh but then you’ll miss my wonderful voice _Sappy Nappy_ ,” George retaliated with a grin.

“Oh fuck off,”

“Hey, language!” Bad scolded.

Sapnap huffed and George giggled at him. Ever since Bad came around, they were somehow subjected to a no cursing policy. Which sucks, but Bad is cool, so it’s fine.

“Hey guys,” Dream greeted them as he entered the kitchen.

Bad finished up Sapnap’s bandages and went over to check on the blond. “Dream! How have you been? Are your wounds acting up? Do you need me to get you some ointments? I can—“

Dream chuckled fondly and shook his head, taking a seat next to George. “I’m doing great Bad, you don’t have to worry about me.” He said, thanking Ponk when the other man offered him a plate of eggs.

Bad frowned, but hesitantly nodded. “Okay, just know that you can tell me whenever you need help.” He said.

Dream nodded and lifted his mask up to where his mouth was visible, then he started eating in silence. Occasionally exchanging some words with George and Bad.

Sapnap wrinkled his nose at the sight of Dream’s mask. Ever since Dream woke up, he refused to show his face to anyone (well, except for Bad because he was the one taking care of the wounds), he’s been using the eerie mask ever since. Sapnap doesn’t like the mask. It’s creepy and it obscures Dream’s face.

It reminds him that he was practically the reason why Dream even wears it. Dream said he didn’t blame Sapnap and it wasn’t his fault, but the raven head calls bullshit on that. He was stupid and brash, he didn’t listen to Dream, it was all his fault.

Whenever he sees the white mask, he’s just filled with extreme guilt and anger. He always has nightmares about it. Nightmares about Dream dying, George hating him forever, being left alone because of his fuck-ups. It scares him. But he’ll never admit it to anyone.

He's Sapnap. He’s the violent one, the stupid one, the impulsive one, the impatient, the loud, the over-confident, the brash, the childish, and so many other things. But not scared. Sapnap is not the scared one. He’s not a coward. He’s not weak. He can handle his own problems.

“Sap?”

Sapnap blinked out of his reverie. “Huh?”

George rolled his eyes and Dream chuckled. “I was asking if there was anything on my f— mask, you’ve been staring.”

Sapnap winced at the slip-up, but quickly recovered, the corners of his lips tilting up a bit in lieu of a smile. “I just zoned out for a bit, it’s nothing,” he said (lied).

Dream hummed. “Sure…” He said, dragging out the word in a suggestive tone.

The raven-head scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Are you sure you’re not crushing on him?” Ponk pipped up.

A burst of red adorned Sapnap’s face. “No!” He screeched, making everyone laugh and continue to tease him.

* * *

“You ready George?”

George looked at Dream and Sapnap, then back at the entrance of the maze. He sighed. “Yes, let’s get this day over with.” He said before the three of them jogged into the unknown once again.

“Is it just me or is this place changing every time we go in?” Sapnap pointed out, jogging in front of Dream and George.

Dream nodded. “Yeah, I think it is…” He mumbled thoughtfully, hand trailing along the walls as they jogged.

George scowled, looking down at his barely made map. “So this is useless? We ran back and forth, hitting dead-end after dead-end only to be toyed with because apparently the walls are _moving?_ ”

“Well… we’re not sure about it yet. We do enter different doors every four days, maybe it’s just our brains messing with us,” Dream reasoned.

Sapnap looked back at them and started jogging backwards. “Yeah Gogy, stop being a worrywart and start mapping out the East gate.”

George pursed his lips, feeling very irritated with everything at the moment, but still did what he was told. He jogged more slowly than the other two since he had to map everything out while doing so, Dream kept beside him and Sapnap went ahead.

It was all so frustrating. Going into the maze with his two best friends was always nerve wracking. There was always that looming feeling of fear and anxiety whenever he enters the maze. It was just the knowledge that a Creeper might come out of nowhere one day and attack his friends and he’ll be useless against it… that haunts him.

He doesn’t like the idea of watching them get hurt. Of _seeing_ them get hurt. Sure, he’s had his fair share of arguments with Sapnap, but he still cares about him. He doesn’t want any of them to die in his watch.

That was why the maze was a terrifying concept to George. It was unpredictable, huge, dangerous, and unknown. Anything can happen at any second of the day. And it irks him that he knows he won’t be able to do anything much when a dangerous situation comes around.

“Can you teach me how to fight?” He blurts out without thinking.

“You want to learn?” Dream asked, genuinely shocked. Which was understandable, George has never shown any signs of interest in sparring with Dream and Sapnap before. The Brit would rather sit and watch from the sidelines, tending to the gardens and sleeping till the day was over.

George nodded. He’s already said it out loud, so he’d just roll with it for now.

Sapnap had apparently paused to wait for them to catch up, and when they did he slapped George’s back roughly with a laugh. “Awesome! Another person I’m gonna beat in a sparring match!”

Dream snorted and nudged Sapnap playfully. “You haven’t beaten me yet Sap, what are you talking about?”

“Have to!”

“Have not!”

“Have to!”

“Have—“

George zoned out of the conversation with a fond smile. The friendly batter was strangely calming for him. It eased the nervous feeling he had and always will have whenever in he’s in the maze.

The maze may scare him. He may be frustrated with certain things in life. But with his friends by his side, everything will be fine. He just has to find a way to keep them safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayup, I'm opening requests for character interactions and character centric chapters! If you want particular characters to interact or if you want to know more about a character in this fic, then just put in the comments and I'll make sure to do my best with them! You can even put in prompts with your chosen characters :D (Sorry but this fic will not have any dnf content in it, the only ships I will be willing to write are the ones in the tags)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments are always appreciated :) [and they keep me motivated to keep this story going >-<]


	7. Ponk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every single character will have their own chapter :3

“Why do you wear a mask?”

Dream shrugged. “Why do you?” He asked back.

Ponk chuckled. “Touché.”

* * *

To be perfectly honest, Ponk isn’t sure why he even wears his mask. He doesn’t have scars. He doesn’t have anything to hide. He’s perfectly normal. But he can’t help but wear it at all times.

There’s something special about it, but he can’t place his finger on it. No one has ever seen his face. He arrived with it on, and he’s not planning on taking it off in front of them anytime soon.

Ponk doesn’t really talk to them that much. It’s not that he doesn’t like them or anything like that, it’s just that he gets shy… a little too much. He gets awkward and he stumbles over his words since he’s pretty sure English isn’t his native language.

So he just keeps to himself, hiding behind his mask and making himself smaller by hunching over and always having his hood up. It seemed to work since Dream, Sapnap, George, and Bad doesn’t try to make conversation as much.

They tried, multiple times, but Ponk never really responded well. He’d usually clam up and refuse to talk for a while. So they stopped, but they never stopped being nice. They always asked if he was okay and if he was comfortable, or if he needed something and things like that. But they never pushed conversation, which was kind of nice.

But it wasn’t fun. Ponk was surrounded by nice and considerate people who are willing to respect his wishes, but still he feels lonely. Maybe it was because he didn’t have anyone to talk to. Then again, he’s the one to blame for that.

He sighed, shaking his head to clear his mind and continue tending to the gardens. Ever since he arrived, he’s taken up the gardening duties because Dream, Sapnap, and George needed to go out and map the maze or something every day. They asked if he wanted to come once, he immediately turned them down.

Ponk isn’t really the athletic kind of guy. He’d rather work under the sun (which they don’t have most of the time) than run around a fucking maze like a lost hamster all day. So yeah, usually it was only him and Bad in the Glade, but today—

“Do you think these shoes would be good for running?”

Ponk yelped, dropping the harvest for the day in shock. “You scared the crap out of me, my goodness,” he huffed as he bent down to pick up what he dropped.

George chuckled. “Sorry, I thought you heard me coming over.” He apologized, kneeling down to help gather the drops.

Today, George insisted on being left behind in exchange for Bad to go in his stead. Which isn’t bad. Ponk likes George, Ponk likes everyone in the Glade so far.

“It’s A-okay, it was my fault I wasn’t paying attention. What was that you asked about shoes?” He said after they collected everything.

“Oh, I was on about these shoes I found in one of our most recent supply chests,” George lifted up the shoes he was talking about, “do you think they’ll be good for running?” He asked.

Ponk’s eyes widened at the sight of the gray and blue accented pair of shoes. “Are those Yeezys?!” He exclaimed. He didn’t really know what Yeezys are, but that was what came out of his mouth and George seemed to be excited to hear the word, so maybe it was a good thing.

Speaking of George, he smiled wide and nodded excitedly. “Yeah, I thought so too! Aren’t they cool?”

“Hell yeah!”

* * *

Ever since that day, Ponk and George grew closer, they always talked about the different kinds of shoes they currently had in the Glade and even clothes whenever they had time. He didn’t realize it at first, but Ponk didn’t even worry about his accent or his way of talking during his talks with George.

It was nice, having someone to talk to. Maybe he should do it more often…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah short chapter, this is more of a filler than anything. I mean, I love Ponk and I wanted to write more, but everything I have planned for him is in the third book of this series. So, sit still my dear fellow Ponk fans uwu

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone has questions or suggestions or even just want to talk about the au, I have a Tumblr Writing blog! [ @thatoneao3writer ](https://thatoneao3writer.tumblr.com/) I have a lot of head canons there if you guys are interested! :)  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3


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